Scream 3
Scream 3 is a 2000 American slasher film created by Kevin Williamson, directed by Wes Craven and written by Ehren Kruger, starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox Arquette and David Arquette. It was released on February 4, 2000 as the third installment in the Scream film series. The events of the story are set three years after those of Scream 2 and follows Sidney Prescott (Campbell) who has gone into self-imposed isolation following the events of the previous two films but is drawn to Hollywood after a new Ghostface begins killing the cast of the film within a film "Stab 3". Scream 3 combines the violence of the slasher genre with comedy and "whodunit" mystery while satirizing the cliché of film trilogies. Unlike the previous Scream films, there was an increased emphasis on comedic elements and the violence and horror was reduced in response to increased public scrutiny about violence in media following the Columbine High School massacre. The film was the concluding chapter of the Scream series until it was revived with a sequel, Scream 4, in 2011. Williamson provided a five-page outline for two sequels to Scream when auctioning his original script, hoping to entice bidders with the potential of buying a franchise. Williamson's commitments to other projects meant he was unable to develop a complete script for Scream 3 and writing duties were undertaken by Ehren Kruger who discarded much of Williamson's notes. Craven and Marco Beltrami returned to direct and score the film respectively as they had with the previous two series entries. Production was troubled with script rewrites, with pages sometimes only ready on the day of filming, and scheduling difficulties with the main cast. Scream 3 performed both financially and critically worse than its preceding films, earning over $161 million and with many critics claiming that the film had become what Scream originally "spoofed". Despite negative criticism, the film did receive praise with reviewers, calling it the perfect end to the Scream trilogy. As of 2012, the film is currently the number 3 highest-grossing slasher-film in North America, following Scream at number 1 and Scream 2 at number 2. The film's soundtrack was well-received, spending fourteen weeks on the Billboard 200 and reaching a high of #32. Plot Cotton Weary, now living in Los Angeles and the host of a nationally syndicated television show, 100% Cotton, is called by Ghostface who demands the whereabouts of Sidney Prescott who has gone into seclusion since the events of Scream 2. He refuses and both Cotton and his girlfriend Christine are murdered. Detective Mark Kincaid meets with Gale Weathers to discuss the murders prompting her to travel to Hollywood, where she finds Dewey Riley working as an advisor on the set of Stab 3, the third film in the film within a film series based on the Ghostface murders. Ghostface kills Stab 3 actress Sarah Darling with the help of a voice changer that can perfectly mimic various voices. Sidney is now living reclusively as a crisis counselor for an abused women's hotline, as she is terrified that another killer may strike. The killer begins taunting Sidney by phone, having discovered her phone number, forcing her out of hiding and drawing her to Hollywood. As the remaining Stab 3 cast gather at the home of Jennifer Jolie, Ghostface kills her bodyguard Steven Stone and uses a gas-leak to cause an explosion, killing fellow actor Tom Prinze. Dewey, Gale, Jennifer and the remaining "Stab 3" actors Angelina Tyler and Tyson Fox attend a birthday party for the director Roman Bridger where Ghostface strikes. Roman, Angelina, Tyson and Jennifer are apparently killed and Ghostface orders Sidney to the mansion to save Gale and Dewey's lives, as they are tied up. Sidney is forced to remove her firearm but reveals a hidden one, which she uses to shoot the killer. Detective Kincaid shows up but is knocked out. Sidney flees and hides in a secret screening room where she encounters Ghostface. He reveals himself as Roman, having faked his death and survived being shot due to a bullet proof vest. Roman admits to being Sidney's half-brother, born to their mother Maureen Prescott when she was an actress in Hollywood. Roman details how, upon finding Maureen, she rejected him and he took his revenge by convincing Billy Loomis to kill her (sparking the events of Scream and Scream 2)and get an accomplice to frame, Stu Macher. However, when he discovered how much fame Sidney got because of those events, Roman snapped and lured Sidney out of hiding. Sidney and Roman fight, ending with Sidney fatally stabbing Roman. Dewey and Gale arrive and Roman attacks again, only for Dewey to kill him with a shot to the head. In the aftermath of the murders, Dewey proposes to Gale, which she accepts as Sidney heads up the path to the house. Sidney is invited to join Dewey, Gale and Detective Kincaid to watch a scary movie. As she goes to join the others, a door behind her opens, but she walks away leaving it as is, finally confident that the murders have ended and that she is now safe. Cast *Liev Schreiber as Cotton Weary *Beth Toussaint as Female Caller (voice) *Roger Jackson as The Voice (voice) *Kelly Rutherford as Christine Hamilton *Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott *Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers *Julie Janney as Moderator *Richmond Arquette as Student *Patrick Dempsey as Detective Mark Kincaid External links * Category:Films Category:2000 release Category:Scream series Category:Neve Campbell films